EASY 2 MAKE! DIY STRETCHER TOOL! HOW-TO Make "REVERSE"CURVED FLANGES on SHEET METAL

[@Marckusmtrmth]

Favorite statement, "It already works in my head". Love it!!!

[@akeosterdahl5037]

I lovi't !!!!

[@olemanhunter5407]

Great job,,,,

[@laszlovona]

Yes, and tbh that feeling gives me more sense of accomplishment than actually finishing the fabrication.

[@darrenhowes4720]

Positive thinking 😁👍🏾

[@fishhuntadventure]

@@laszlovona That’s a lot of the reason why there’s three tools I need to make- want to make- aren’t built. Got ’em figured out and have materials for two of them but once I got past the hurdles in my head (and didn’t have immediate need) I was like “that was easy” and then moved on to something else. But hey- I need the stretch hammer on a fancy trailer fender project. If I keep waiting to build it I can make sure the fenders take several hours longer than they should. Win! >rolleyes

[@machinist5828]

Sweet little tool! It sure beats a ball peen and a brick! LOL! That's the best use for one of those little air hammers I have seen yet. Cheers Terry

[@terrys6871]

Karl, you make it look so easy! Your talents are beyond measure 😀

[@mstens1271]

Karl, I have learned so much from your channel. I picked up a 54 Chevy truck this year and I'll be using a bunch of the lessons from you and fitzee to rebuild it. Thank you!

[@jsnyder95]

So simple and effective. These are my favorites types of videos 👍🏼

[@yt650]

I would be interested in what the reduction in the thickness of the metal would be, I know it’s probably a small amount but I would like to know what it started out as and what it ended up as. What a great video.

[@robertcheslock9636]

Karl, fantastic stretcher build! I bought a shrinker/stretcher set over 20 years ago,but I like the job this stretcher does far better than the store bought unit I have. Keep these videos coming.

[@Ron-FabandBuild]

The eyecrometer. Lol. This is genius man. Love it. I am going to do this myself at some point when I get to doing more sheet metal forming. Awesome work Karl. Thanks for your channel and input.

[@kitmaira]

The episodes where you make tools are my favorites.

[@Andospar]

I thought the last video you made, the shrinker, was impressive, but this last tool was the icing on the cake! Thank you so much for sharing! Just thinking about using the planishing hammer after the shrinker.

[@MakeItKustom]

Ya! That would help immensely!

[@jeffpitzer8521]

While watching your awesome linear stretching tool in action I got an idea. If you had any broken punches from your scotchman ironworker they would make an awesome hardened bottom die turned on it's side. The 1" diameter would probably work perfectly and would be harder than Chinese arithmetic!

[@harmlesscreationsofthegree1248]

And so The Fish Stretcher was born! Goes great with The Shrinkarl. Love your innovations and DIY solutions. Awesome channel.

[@brunocoutant4204]

You have goldfingers !!! You want, you haven't, you make. This IS Make it Kustoms. Bruno from France.

[@TheTubeTube2]

What a major success! First prize with honours for $40s worth of pure ingenuity.

[@MakeItKustom]

Hahah thanks

[@michael-michaelmotorcycle]

Algorithm sent me here, this great video kept me here. Subscribed. 👍

[@bruceaskin9645]

For those who dont have a foot air controller handy. A foot pedal can also be made easily , to work off the trigger . Just a couple of levers an a rod. The stretcher does a great job. Impressive.

[@adambergendorff2702]

This one would also do a great job on aluminum which really doesn't like being stretched with a conventional stretcher!

[@MakeItKustom]

Yes very true

[@Paulkam23]

What a spin out. Here I am, sitting at home in Canberra Australia and I see a number plate on your wall from my city!

[@RaysLaughsAndLyrics]

Sanding and polishing.. give your pink lungs some love ❤and wear a dust mask. Great build.🦾 Thanks for sharing your time and resources. 👍

[@chrisboehme7136]

Suggestion, make the main body of the stretcher out of paper, then transfer that to a piece of pine wood the same size as the 5/8 bar stock. You can make all the adjustments easier that way, then transfer to 5/8 steel bar stock

[@itsalldoable]

I'm even more impressed with this stretching tool. There is no way i would spend money on the usual tooling now. I will be making both of these for my shop. Possibly a deep throat version of both would be great. ATB Paul from the UK

[@JohnMCdaid-vy2db]

What a humble man with brains to burn, love your videos and keep them coming.

[@kitfoxmk2]

Great job

[@facopspec5386]

Braddah Karl, even though I’m not into much sheet metal work and wouldn’t necessarily need this tool, I am amazed at your talent to fabricate your own tool. I watched the video just because of your thought process and how you get it from a vision to an actual product that works fantastically! You never let me down with your videos. Keep um coming! Aloha🤙🏼

[@Studebomber]

Totally going to build one! I have a kick stretcher and shrinker set on my Xmas list, but this works so well! Especially for how inexpensive it is, it's a no Brainerd! Thanks again Karl, another homerun.

[@joecioe8566]

What a great idea. Simple, cheap, and does a great job. You should add a cheap foot pedal made out of a ball valve to this video series.

[@billgeorge7804]

You never fail to impress my good son. Nice one Karl, thank you.

[@KevinHalliburton]

Brilliant! One tool I don't think I've ever seen in your shop is a 2" x 72" belt grinder. I built mine, based on Jeremy Shmidt's design, and it's been a game changer. I would love to see you build one on the channel and put your own spin on it. I couldn't live without mine now.

[@MakeItKustom]

That’s a cool idea for a tool build video!

[@randomstuff3201]

Another nifty, and inexpensive tool from the mind of Karl. Good work.

[@terryeustice5399]

Karl you’re way too talented to ever be called crazy. Your skills are second to none In Fabrication. By the way I trust your eye. You maybe using these on the Zephyr. Thanks for sharing your talent! 💯👊👍

[@MakeItKustom]

Haha thanks terry!! Ya I’m definitely using them soon on the zephyr!

[@geoffreymills9932]

Damn it Karl, now I gotta build another tool 😂😂, but great idea and it's perfect for making door jambs, window frames and several other things I can think of,

[@Equiluxe1]

If you used a ground chisel bit and a frame that had a grove down the middle of the anvil fave you would have a shrinking attachment for the air hammer.

[@kimbodywork1405]

I know you hear this all the time but thank you so much for your Dyi videos. It helps us that more time than money!

[@MakeItKustom]

You’re so welcome! Thanks for watvhing

[@Bluechip288]

Been a machinist tool maker for over 50 years. Doing a 48 Merc convertible restomod. I’m building 1 using a larger hardened dowel for the anvil side. Great video great job!

[@michaelcaraway6801]

Watching you and Elio reminds me of helping my dad when I was young. I would see things way before he did and offer suggestions during the process only to be ignored. After way too much time and effort, we almost always ended up doing it the way I suggested in the first place. Ah, wonderful memories. Poor Elio!!

[@4speed3pedals]

The tool in the air hammer should have pressure on it or the internals could jam or possibly break. Having any gap will also possibly lead to dents, eyebrows or other marks in the metal and when riveting any gap could lead to the chisel/peen flying out of the gun. When I was in the Air Force at Chanute AFB, the hangers were old and the ceilings were high. Learning how to rivet, a guy had his gun come off the bottom of a wing section and the chisel came out, hit a light assembly in the roof and the light crashed down on the floor. Good thing no one was hurt. We had what is referred to as a 4X air hammer and this Prince unit looks smaller. I do think it will work. If slow to move metal, it would have be be an air gun with a longer stroke. Great idea, thank you.

[@waaaywestminnesota362]

Your ‘Crazy’ always transforms into the neatest Sh!t. Maybe now I Can have some great usable tools I need and can’t normally afford.

[@bigdaddy741098]

If you made a second one with the bottom part of the tool flat, would you be able to use that to work the crimps out of the flange from your shrinking tool? If you had a huge budget you could get 2 air hammers, but I'm assuming the top hammer would want to be flat for both so you could just use one and swap them very easily with your simple design.

[@tano1747]

Brilliant. Notsure my neighbours would enjoy it quite so much, but otherwise great concept. Would an English wheel be practical for this this sort of thing, maybe with some modification to allow close approach to one side of the wheel? That would be silent, which would be like magic....

[@JohnMcGonigal-xl2oz]

Great tool and well executed applications of how to operate Double whammy This guy will be doing harbour freight out a job with expensive stretching machine

[@mixerman1]

That little jewel is worth its weight, the finish is great. Wheel wells, frenching taillights, The mind of a genius

[@donames6941]

Thank you for taking the time to share with us low-budget guys on how to make tools for cheap👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@mattockman]

Very, very good work fella. Appreciate it.

[@Binnins]

Loving the home made tool vids!

[@samsonmtx]

Absolutely beautiful finish with no added effort... well done awesome tool!!!..😎 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🤘

[@JohnMcGonigal-xl2oz]

Guy passionate about his work Loving your work half the battle the imagination gets out To achieve brilliantly work Thanks Karl for sharing your imagination

[@faroironandcustoms6577]

Nice!!! Just a thought. If you wanted a hardened surface, you could use a cut off from an axle shaft or an old forklift fork. Also hard facing rods are available. But that may get too hard and split.

[@GerryMiller-y4d]

You are anything but crazy. You are one very smart guy.

[@brianglass4824]

Love your work, your fly is down…..😂 keep up the good work!

[@MarkEye-r5d]

Awesome tool Look's like you are going to have a lot of fun using it . Thanks for the great videos

[@OGRocker1]

Thanks for sharing your mad skills, .... As a retired Fabmagator, I still learn a little in each of your videos ! Cool tool bro, can you show us how to recalibrate an eyechrometer ? just kidding about the recalibration ... Been watching for a few years now, very enjoyable, thank you.

[@gregorycatren3442]

I definitely see you using this tool in the future... I also see you adding this to your blanishing hammer ...it's an awesome tool for any shop...you still amaze me... Keep going...and keep putting out great videos...thank you

[@electronsmove]

Love the channel. You could use 2 of the air hammer "bits". Mount one facing up under the air hammer. Would be replaceable / removeable. Could also trim this way down and use it as a hand held version to adjust a flange on a large part or a piece on a car.

[@idcashflow]

quick and cheap hack with best results, thank you man

[@dans.98]

Awesome tool going have to make me one . I’m imagining projects to use it on. Very thankful for your videos. They are saving me lots of money and I really enjoy how you do them .

[@RogersABodyGarage]

Well I know what I'm making this weekend! Awesome! Thanks for showing us how its done!

[@MakeItKustom]

Your welcome 🙏!

[@shloopter30]

Might be the best tool build yet.

[@jameskilpatrick7790]

Gonzo DIY tools are so much fun to watch. Of course, the know-how to make one work right out of the gate helps a lot. :) Great stuff!

[@americanfamiliesfirst3747]

I'm glad we're starting back on the Lincoln zephyr. Thought you forgot about it.

[@tonyhowe3676]

I had already been thinking of the exact tool before I saw your video! I didn't have to think in my mind....."will it work?".......now I know it will work thanks to you. Love your craftsmanship and ingenuity!!!

[@ericmahoney6007]

This is beyond do-able for anyone with basic tools in fact I’m going to put one together tonight as well the shrinking tool. You are awesome man!

[@kirkoglesby6175]

No shortage of game changing ideas Karl!

[@cedargroveopryalamoga2873]

Thanks for posting these!

[@rennch.]

100% Making one of these this weekend. What a cool, easy tool! Thanks man.

[@Inthegarage685]

Me two

[@howardhall67]

Would like to see you make a tipping die set out of common scrap steel. Great job on the planishing stretcher.

[@squiggsgarage8601]

A homemade throatless sheer would be really cool to see how you would make one!!!

[@christee5772]

Awesome work, have very little need for a stretcher but I think I'll be making one just in case one day I do, thanks.

[@ISOSAILING]

yes you are crazy!! for useing a grinder witout a gard lol this has to be one of the best fab channal's on the internet, learnt so much from you video's they are awesome, now where did i put my air hammer.......... i have a bomber seat to make. still trying to figher out wether i can curve the eadges with a air hammer like you made, made more difficalt as i'm prob going to use stainless for no other reason other than i have it kicking about and nothing else to use it for haha

[@JohnMcClain-p9t]

Karl, I suspect you are overdue for a small bandsaw making these tool projects.

[@jimgoodwin6440]

Would you want to make the hammer tilt-able in relation to the anvil? A flange needs more stretch at the edge than at the bend, right?

[@patrickharrand]

That's a great tool Karl. It looks like the short barrel air hammer (like yours) would be beneficial to a long barrel type. More BPM etc. It's definitely on my to-do list of tools to build. Thanks again for sharing your skills with us.👍👍❤

[@brianwelch1579]

I made mine with a .5" x 6" steel bar, I gave it a throat that allows me to make a ~2.5" wide flange by making passes across. It works extremely well, I machined the anvil to fit a piece of O1 drill rod and silver brazed it in. A dunk in oil and a file can just barely scratch it. I've polished it and it works extremely well now, the hard anvil is a big upgrade but I have to see if it holds up.

[@CLPRPSD]

I thoroughly enjoy all of your tool building videos.

[@123gonow]

lol Karl ! oh so many times I thought it works in my head 😂

[@jaybird4095]

Just realized your almost have 300K subscribers! You are really good at explaining what your doing.

[@ratt727]

Great idea now I can make better use of my princess auto air hammer, this will work out nice

[@courier11sec]

Man both of these turned out killer! Somehow I was unsubscribed from your channel so I'm glad you popped back up in the recommendations. Thanks for sharing this. 🙂

[@MakeItKustom]

Glad to have you back!

[@zhuk3848]

👍💥🔥 Чувак ,ти крутий.Дякую за гарні ідеї.🤓

[@TheChaos98]

Man!!! Between you and FITZEE'S FAB! I GOT ALL KINDS OF KNOWLEDGE! love the workmanship from mind to reality is so attainable it's insane! Thank you! God is good! Oh yeah! Digging the whitestripes man!!!

[@jpthedelawarebeeman6239]

There is nothing more satisfying than making your own tool that will last a lifetime! Awesome job Karl. If only I had another restoration in me I'd make one for myself :) ~~~~~ Question ???? couldn't you just make another base\holder but reverse the surfaces to make a shrinker?

[@skyfreakwi]

Yeah what jp said... Make a set of finger shrink dies that'll fit on there. Then we can toss all those jaw type shrinker stretchers.

[@jpthedelawarebeeman6239]

@@skyfreakwi It would surely be faster than doing it manually and remove the hammering step out of the process that Karl did on the previous tool.

[@unavailable8681]

Man, thats good! 👌My cheap ebay foot stretcher would rip the metal before it got anywhere near that tight on the radius. And of course the finish looks like a cheese grater. I guess I'm making one of these when I got time!

[@rattlekankustoms]

I'm going to try this for sure!! Awesome video Karl. Thanks!

[@ScottGovey]

Awesome video as always! The best part is you have played with enough tools and equipment to expect what the out comes are. And not many people realize that it's not always the top notch dean's list collage grad engineer's that make stuff work, it's people like you and I as well as many many others out there the make better stuff out of simpler stuff. Keep on doing what you do karl! Awesome doesn't even do the justice of what you do bro. Thank's as always for sharing with us!

[@adambergendorff2702]

I know I already commented, this is probably one of my favorite video's, I love making tools is this one is AWESOME!

[@adambergendorff2702]

Was just revisiting this video and I thought, if you put a handle on the anvil you could you it mobile. wouldn't use it very often but on occasion could be very helpful.

[@Flint_Hyzermatic]

Pretty neat. I wonder if a piece of pipe would've worked for the curved anvil surface.

[@BoxcarsGarage]

Improvement??? Maybe add some serrations to the inside of the clamp surface to lessen the potential of slipping?? iDK. Good vid

[@digschopper9321]

I need to do this, and a planishing hammer. I wish there was internet when i started fabbing sheet metal, your videos would have shot me far ahead. Some of my methods seem neanderthal now. Wait, i AM a neanderthal.

[@jamesmorris7074]

I enjoy the sheet metal work, I restore VW busses and they are unibody. Therefore, all welded together.

[@brucematthews6417]

Totally awesome ! ! ! ! I can see the need for a really good clamp around the nose of the air hammer. And POSSIBLY a side bolt or something that extends up to the rear of the air hammer and has an arm or cross bar that holds it from backing out of the clamp. But that's adding a couple of more scraps and maybe some threaded rod. Still super crazy simple and awesome.

[@blackbuttecruizr]

Amazing!!!! "Ooooooh coffee"

[@Pops1948]

If you wanted to harden the tool best to heat it cherry red and drop it in oil

[@rockerpat1085]

This Was Not Hardened At All!!! The File Cut It With No Problem!!!

[@lcar9871]

This is soo cool!!! I wonder, for the Anvil part, if you used the head of a Grade 8 bolt? Possibly harder steel and you could polish it up nice

[@iknowwhatudid712]

That's stuff right arm and thank you for the video and keep doing what you do

[@poolmotorrepairguyFL]

The Florida pool pump motor repair guy 32750 approved ! that was good info & see MIK

[@SuperDave-xs6pt]

Hi Karl, What a great tool. A kick stretcher would have shredded that piece... What if you make a cut on the frame parallel with the welded face, so that you might make a flange on a taller piece, not limiting yourself to say 3/4" and work the metal depth on the hammer like you were doing. Keep up the inspirational videos! And what's up with the Baby Buick?

[@davidoliver2826]

Seriously Karl you just made two of the most useful and reasonably inexpensive tools in the shop. I’m seeing a few tweaks on the hammer to make it a little bit more adjustable but …..sweet man!

[@MechanicHDlife]

On your stand make a foot pedal pivot ponit to operate the trigger of the gun instead of input of air through another valve i dunno though im not the sharpest knife in the drawer but just bouncing a thought off you love the build peace be safe

[@brianwasmund7568]

I love making my own tools, I've got one that isn't commercially made that I need to start producing, because I keep getting requests for. But I need to come up with a new, sturdier design that is easy to manufacture, because like this, it takes another tool that you have to buy to make it.

[@javman03]

Oh you are definitely crazy my friend. Crazy talented!